You’re probably convinced that there are plenty of good reasons to add public relations to your marketing communications mix if you’re reading this. However, are you prepared for making PR a successful, long-term initiative that contributes significant results to marketing and sales? Get your head in the game with these tips:
Know all the ways PR works today. PR is much more than media relations (pitching stories on your behalf). You need to understand how media relations and PR related content (news releases, byline articles) integrate into your larger marketing/communications effort, i.e., prospect emails that include links to stories about your products, LinkedIn posts that link to stories.
Share your business and marketing goals. Have agencies and professionals sign a non-disclosure agreement, so you can feel comfortable sharing your goals in initial meetings. Any prospective provider of PR counsel will need access to your business plan, goals, communications assets, database, and metrics in order to develop a plan for you.
Align realistic expectations to your marketing goals in order to determine success. While you will spend money on your PR effort, you should expect a return on your investment. If leads and inquiries for sales is the only reason you’re investing in PR, stop. Your PR resource will provide perspective on the many ways to assess the value of PR results. But in the interest of establishing expectations right from the start, it is critical that you determine those metrics upfront to set expectations.
Be willing to invest time. PR will require your involvement or someone else’s on your team who is in the know. If you can’t commit to update your PR resource on a regular basis, you probably aren’t ready to hire a firm or an employee. What’s going on in your company is the grist that feeds the PR mill. You will also need to commit resources to talk with the media. No one knows your business as well as you, which is why journalists and influencers may want to talk with you. Your PR firm will create opportunities for those conversations, so be willing to participate.
Understand the risks/rewards. There are no guarantees that the content PR disseminates to position your brand/products in a favorable light will result in favorable coverage. PR is not based on guarantees. It opens up opportunities but unlike advertising, doesn’t provide control. A media pitch results in an interview, yet the client may not appear in the story. Editorial schedules may change, and stories may get bumped due to space.
Embrace new thinking. Challenging the status quo can be uncomfortable. But a fresh perspective can rejuvenate your marketing communications program. The media are especially interested in provocative content that disrupt conventional thinking. Your PR firm should provide story ideas that attract coverage.
Be patient. It won’t happen overnight. It may not even happen in 90 days, especially if you’ve never had a PR initiative. There are some foundational tactics that need to be done before actually starting media outreach. While your PR effort may need six months to take flight and deliver a return, start tracking metrics that will show whether or not you’re on the right path.
Be responsive. Although last on this list, I can’t overemphasize this enough. Every story idea, pitch, press release or byline article requires your feedback. It’s important that you actually review ideas and drafts to make sure they are on the right track. Send a sample of your product to a publication or conduct a demo for a publication that asks for either. Make sure your spokesperson will grant an interview when a reporter asks for one as a follow up to a story pitch or news release. You’re paying for PR to open up opportunities, so make sure you take advantage of each one.
PR can power brand awareness and positive image building. Now that you’re well versed in the ups and downs and ins and outs of PR, you’re ready to check out options for getting started. A good place to begin is to visit our website www.schwegmancommunications.com.